Western Cape Article - South African Vacations

Winemaking is a long reveredtradition and way of life in theWestern Cape. The wine routesoffer visitors the chance to samplethe best wines in superlativenatural surroundings, while alsoallowing them to visit thehomesteads and other places ofinterest that are intimatelyconnected with the wine industry.The fishing villages of the WestCoast bask quietly in the sun whilethe waters of the many seasideresorts along the coast play host tothe southern right whale.The popular Garden Route is rich with indigenous forests, colourful bird and plant life,enchanting freshwater lakes, pristine beaches and towering mountains. In complete contrastare the semi-desert vistas of the Little Karoo Kannaland and the vast plains of the prehistoricCentral Karoo.The Western Cape’s fertile soil, Mediterranean climate and sunshine combine to produceexceptional fruit that is superior in quality and taste. This fruit, which includes deciduousand citrus fruit, finds its way to many destinations worldwide. By following any of thenumerous fruit routes you will be transported to a wonderful world of awe-inspiringmountain passes and lush valleys.Perhaps it is the lovely surroundings that inspire people to create their wonderful art and craftworks, which can be bought at a wide range of upmarket shops, craft markets and even atpavement stalls. These may be traditional wood or soapstone carvings of animals, reedbaskets and beads or may be more contemporary adaptations of tin cans, plastic bags, wireand string transformed into modern works of art. Craft markets are also good sources of“home-made” clothing, jewellery, furniture and other household items.Architecturally, the Cape isunique because of its Cape Dutcharchitecture. Throughout the winelandsone finds a great number ofbuildings in the Cape Dutch style.Although originally based onEuropean building styles andmeant for a much colder climate,they were later adapted to suit ourclimate. The walls of the buildingswere made thicker to protect theinhabitants against the summerheat but the design of the roofs inEurope, steeply pitched so as toshed snow, was never changed. Inearlier times people travelled long6